Biodegradation of used lubricating and diesel oils by a new yeast strain Candida viswanathii KA-2011

Disposal of the automotive lubricating oil after usage can cause environmental hazards. This study aimed to isolate a microbial isolate is that able to biodegrade lubricating oil effectively. A new yeast strain, identified by 18S-rRNA gene sequencing as Candida viswanathii KA-201l, was isolated from used lubricating oil, showed high biodegradation efficiency for different used lubricating oils. Capability of this isolate to degrade different high and low molecular weight hydrocarbons, castor oil, diesel oil and grease was tested. It showed high degradation efficiency for most of the tested compounds. The biodegradation products were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) in most cases. The biodegradation efficiency under high osmotic pressure was studied. It effectively biodegrade lubricating and diesel oils (58.6 and 93.9%, respectively) at 6% salt concentration after four days only. C. viswanathii KA-2011 can be effectively used for removal of lubricants, diesel or vegetative oils pollution from soil, wastewater and sea water. Use of C. viswanathii KA-2011 in the bioremediation of lubricant or gasoline contaminated sea-water save the aquaculture from these pollutants, as well as it open new horizons in using of contaminated soil and wastewater in agriculture.Keywords: Lubricating oils, diesel oil, biodegradation, Candida viswanathi

PENGARUH BUDAYA ORGANISASI DAN KECERDASAN EMOSIONAL TERHADAP BERBAGI PENGETAHUAN (KNOWLEDGE SHARING) PADA MAHASISWA DI UNIVERSITAS PASUNDAN BANDUNG (Suatu Survei Pada Mahasiswa Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis, Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan)

ABSTRAK Berbagi pengetahuan (Knowledge Sharing) menjadi faktor utama bagi mahasiswa fakultas FEB, FISIP dan, FKIP Universitas Pasundan Bandung, beberapa penelitian menunjukan bahwa budaya organisasi dan kecerdasan emosional dapat berpengaruh pada knowledge sharing. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui seberapa besar pengaruh budaya organisasi dan kecerdasan emosional terhadap berbagi pengetahuan (knowledge sharing) pada mahasiswa fakultas FEB, FISIP, dan FKIP Universitas Pasundan Bandung baik secara parsial maupun secara simultan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah deskriptif dan verifikatif dengan jumlah sampel 98 mahasiswa fakultas FEB,FISIP, dan FKIP Universitas Pasundan Bandung. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah, kuesioner, observasi dan wawancara. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis regresi berganda, korelasi berganda, dan koefesien determinasi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa variabel budaya organisasi berada pada kategori baik dengan skor rata-rata 3,66. Untuk variabel kecerdasan emosional berada pada kategpri baik dengan skor rata-rata 3,97. Kemudian untuk variabel berbagi pengetahuan (knowledge sharing) berada pada kategori baik dengan skor rata-rata 3,94. Hasil secara kuantitatif menunjukan bahwa budaya organisasi dan kecerdasan emosional berpengaruh terhadap berbagi pengetahuan (knowledge sharing) sebesar 70,9%. Secara parsial budaya organisasi kecil pengaruhnya terhadap knowledge sharing yaitu sebesar (2,2%), sedangkan untuk kecerdasan emosional terhadap knowledge sharing lebih besar pengaruhnya sebesar (68,7%) Kata Kunci : Budaya Organisasi, Kecerdasan Emosional, dan Knowledge Sharin

PENGARUH KEPEMIMPINAN TRANSFORMASIONAL DAN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN AMMAR KIDS DI KABUPATEN BANDUNG

ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana kepemimpinan transformasional, employee engagement, dan kinerja karyawan, serta untuk mengetahui bagaimana pengaruh kepemimpinan transformasional dan employee engagement terhadap kinerja karyawan di Ammar Kids di Kabupaten Bandung. Faktor-faktor yang diuji dalam penelitian ini adalah kepemimpinan transformasional dan employee engagement sebagai variabel independen. Sedangkan kinerja karyawan sebagai variabel dependen. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif dan verifikatif. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh karyawan Ammar Kids di Kabupaten Bandung yang berjumlah 30 karyawan. Teknik penentuan sampel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu teknik non probability sampling dengan metode sampling jenuh, sehingga sampel dalam penelitian sebanyak 30 karyawan Ammar Kids di Kabupaten Bandung. Metode analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis regresi linear berganda pada taraf signifikansi sebesar 5%. Program yang digunakan dalam menganalisis data menggunakan Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Ver.25.00. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian secara parsial dan simultan menunjukan bahwa kepemimpinan transformasional dan employee engagement berpengaruh terhadap kinerja karyawan di Ammar Kids di Kabupaten Bandung. Selain itu besarnya pengaruh kepemimpinan transformasional dan employee engagement dalam memberikan kontribusi pengaruh terhadap kinerja karyawan adalah sebesar 71,6 %. Kata Kunci: Kepemimpinan Transformasional, Employee Engagement, dan Kinerja Karyawan

Ascaroside Expression in Caenorhabditis elegans Is Strongly Dependent on Diet and Developmental Stage

Background: The ascarosides form a family of small molecules that have been isolated from cultures of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. They are often referred to as “dauer pheromones” because most of them induce formation of long-lived and highly stress resistant dauer larvae. More recent studies have shown that ascarosides serve additional functions as social signals and mating pheromones. Thus, ascarosides have multiple functions. Until now, it has been generally assumed that ascarosides are constitutively expressed during nematode development. Methodology/Principal Findings: Cultures of C. elegans were developmentally synchronized on controlled diets. Ascarosides released into the media, as well as stored internally, were quantified by LC/MS. We found that ascaroside biosynthesis and release were strongly dependent on developmental stage and diet. The male attracting pheromone was verified to be a blend of at least four ascarosides, and peak production of the two most potent mating pheromone components, ascr#3 and asc#8 immediately preceded or coincided with the temporal window for mating. The concentration of ascr#2 increased under starvation conditions and peaked during dauer formation, strongly supporting ascr#2 as the main population density signal (dauer pheromone). After dauer formation, ascaroside production largely ceased and dauer larvae did not release any ascarosides. These findings show that both total ascaroside production and the relative proportions of individual ascarosides strongly correlate with these compounds' stage-specific biological functions. Conclusions/Significance: Ascaroside expression changes with development and environmental conditions. This is consistent with multiple functions of these signaling molecules. Knowledge of such differential regulation will make it possible to associate ascaroside production to gene expression profiles (transcript, protein or enzyme activity) and help to determine genetic pathways that control ascaroside biosynthesis. In conjunction with findings from previous studies, our results show that the pheromone system of C. elegans mimics that of insects in many ways, suggesting that pheromone signaling in C. elegans may exhibit functional homology also at the sensory level. In addition, our results provide a strong foundation for future behavioral modeling studies

Activation of Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis by the Proto-Oncogene Pim-2

Potent survival effects have been ascribed to the serine/threonine kinase proto-oncogene PIM-2. Elevated levels of PIM-2 are associated with various malignancies. In human cells, a single Pim-2 transcript gives rise mainly to two protein isoforms (34, 41 kDa) that share an identical catalytic site but differ at their N-terminus, due to in-frame alternative translation initiation sites. In this study we observed that the 34 kDa PIM-2 isoform has differential nuclear and cytoplasmic forms in all tested cell lines, suggesting a possible role for the balance between these forms for PIM-2's function. To further study the cellular role of the 34 kDa isoform of PIM-2, an N-terminally HA-tagged form of this isoform was transiently expressed in HeLa cells. Surprisingly, this resulted in increased level of G1 arrested cells, as well as of apoptotic cells. These effects could not be obtained by a Flag-tagged form of the 41 kDa isoform. The G1 arrest and apoptotic effects were associated with an increase in T14/Y15 phosphorylation of CDK2 and proteasom-dependent down-regulation of CDC25A, as well as with up-regulation of p57, E2F-1, and p73. No such effects were obtained upon over-expression of a kinase-dead form of the HA-tagged 34 kDa PIM-2. By either using a dominant negative form of p73, or by over-expressing the 34 kDa PIM-2 in p73-silenced cells, we demonstrated that these effects were p73-dependent. These results demonstrate that while PIM-2 can function as a potent survival factor, it can, under certain circumstances, exhibit pro-apoptotic effects as well

Impact of caloric and dietary restriction regimens on markers of health and longevity in humans and animals: a summary of available findings

Considerable interest has been shown in the ability of caloric restriction (CR) to improve multiple parameters of health and to extend lifespan. CR is the reduction of caloric intake - typically by 20 - 40% of ad libitum consumption - while maintaining adequate nutrient intake. Several alternatives to CR exist. CR combined with exercise (CE) consists of both decreased caloric intake and increased caloric expenditure. Alternate-day fasting (ADF) consists of two interchanging days; one day, subjects may consume food ad libitum (sometimes equaling twice the normal intake); on the other day, food is reduced or withheld altogether. Dietary restriction (DR) - restriction of one or more components of intake (typically macronutrients) with minimal to no reduction in total caloric intake - is another alternative to CR. Many religions incorporate one or more forms of food restriction. The following religious fasting periods are featured in this review: 1) Islamic Ramadan; 2) the three principal fasting periods of Greek Orthodox Christianity (Nativity, Lent, and the Assumption); and 3) the Biblical-based Daniel Fast. This review provides a summary of the current state of knowledge related to CR and DR. A specific section is provided that illustrates related work pertaining to religious forms of food restriction. Where available, studies involving both humans and animals are presented. The review includes suggestions for future research pertaining to the topics of discussion

Identification of Genes That Promote or Antagonize Somatic Homolog Pairing Using a High-Throughput FISH–Based Screen

The pairing of homologous chromosomes is a fundamental feature of the meiotic cell. In addition, a number of species exhibit homolog pairing in nonmeiotic, somatic cells as well, with evidence for its impact on both gene regulation and double-strand break (DSB) repair. An extreme example of somatic pairing can be observed in Drosophila melanogaster, where homologous chromosomes remain aligned throughout most of development. However, our understanding of the mechanism of somatic homolog pairing remains unclear, as only a few genes have been implicated in this process. In this study, we introduce a novel high-throughput fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technology that enabled us to conduct a genome-wide RNAi screen for factors involved in the robust somatic pairing observed in Drosophila. We identified both candidate “pairing promoting genes” and candidate “anti-pairing genes,” providing evidence that pairing is a dynamic process that can be both enhanced and antagonized. Many of the genes found to be important for promoting pairing are highly enriched for functions associated with mitotic cell division, suggesting a genetic framework for a long-standing link between chromosome dynamics during mitosis and nuclear organization during interphase. In contrast, several of the candidate anti-pairing genes have known interphase functions associated with S-phase progression, DNA replication, and chromatin compaction, including several components of the condensin II complex. In combination with a variety of secondary assays, these results provide insights into the mechanism and dynamics of somatic pairing

Spike-Timing Precision and Neuronal Synchrony Are Enhanced by an Interaction between Synaptic Inhibition and Membrane Oscillations in the Amygdala

The basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) is a critical component of the neural circuit regulating fear learning. During fear learning and recall, the amygdala and other brain regions, including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, exhibit phase-locked oscillations in the high delta/low theta frequency band (∼2–6 Hz) that have been shown to contribute to the learning process. Network oscillations are commonly generated by inhibitory synaptic input that coordinates action potentials in groups of neurons. In the rat BLA, principal neurons spontaneously receive synchronized, inhibitory input in the form of compound, rhythmic, inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs), likely originating from burst-firing parvalbumin interneurons. Here we investigated the role of compound IPSPs in the rat and rhesus macaque BLA in regulating action potential synchrony and spike-timing precision. Furthermore, because principal neurons exhibit intrinsic oscillatory properties and resonance between 4 and 5 Hz, in the same frequency band observed during fear, we investigated whether compound IPSPs and intrinsic oscillations interact to promote rhythmic activity in the BLA at this frequency. Using whole-cell patch clamp in brain slices, we demonstrate that compound IPSPs, which occur spontaneously and are synchronized across principal neurons in both the rat and primate BLA, significantly improve spike-timing precision in BLA principal neurons for a window of ∼300 ms following each IPSP. We also show that compound IPSPs coordinate the firing of pairs of BLA principal neurons, and significantly improve spike synchrony for a window of ∼130 ms. Compound IPSPs enhance a 5 Hz calcium-dependent membrane potential oscillation (MPO) in these neurons, likely contributing to the improvement in spike-timing precision and synchronization of spiking. Activation of the cAMP-PKA signaling cascade enhanced the MPO, and inhibition of this cascade blocked the MPO. We discuss these results in the context of spike-timing dependent plasticity and modulation by neurotransmitters important for fear learning, such as dopamine